1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tube or catheter, and more particularly to a tube or catheter, which can be temporarily attached to a tissue site within the human body for infusion or withdrawal of a substance from the body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known methods of attaching a tube or catheter into the body involve suturing the catheter into place at the attachment site. However, since sutures can not be placed through the catheter, sutures are tied or otherwise secured around the outside of the catheter to hold it in place. Slippage of the catheter and collapsing of the tube are potential problems. To remove the catheter either surgical intervention is required or, if the catheter is pulled out, the sutures used to hold the catheter in place are left in-situ.
The patent literature describes several styles of catheters which can be fixated in the body while they are used to administer or withdraw a substance from the body. Balloon catheters, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,694 to Sunseri, and other similar patents, can be fixated in a vessel or body space (i.e. abdomen) by inflating a balloon at or near the distal end of the catheter. Additional lumens in the catheter can then be used to perform a variety of functions such as infusing and/or removing substances from the body or conducting a surgical procedure. However, when placed in vessels, these catheters function by occluding the vessel they are fixated in and therefore do not allow the normal functioning of the vessel to proceed. For instance they block the flow of blood in a blood vessel, or restrict the flow of urine from the bladder, and so forth.
Percutaneous style catheters as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,148 to Courtney, and other similar patents, are fixated at the site they enter the body by an ingrowth means usually consisting of a fabric patch. In use body tissue will grow into the fabric patch and secure the catheter in place. In order to remove the catheter the ingrown area must be excised away. This style of catheter is not suitable for short duration use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,577 to Chu et. al., and other similar patents, discloses a catheter with a suture running internally from the proximal to the distal end. However, this suture is not used to attach the catheter to tissue. Instead, it is used to open an anchoring device, such as bendable arms, which are part of the catheter distal end.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tube or catheter which can be easily and reliably attached to a tissue site for a short, temporary no duration of time for the administration and/or withdrawal of a substance in the body.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tube or catheter attachable to a tissue site in a hollow body organ, such that the attachment means will not block the normal functioning of that body organ during use of the catheter.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tube or catheter which can be easily removed from the attachment site without surgical intervention and without leaving remnants of the attachment means at the attachment site.